Archive for January 2011

BOUMERDES (Algeria)- Twenty-nine hydrocarbon finds were made in the country’s south in 2010, a success estimated at more than 40%, according to a report presented Sunday to the minister of Energy and Mines Youcef Yousfi.

Of the 29 discoveries, “27 were made by national hydrocarbon group Sonatrach’s own efforts, and two were the outcome of a partnership between the national group and foreign firms,” pointed out the report presented by an executive at the Algerian Petroleum Institute (IAP) to the minister, on an inspection visit to the province of Boumerdes (50 km east of Algiers), along with Sonatrach CEO Noureddine Cherouati.

The finds required a global investment of USD1.1 billion by Sonatrach and more than USD500 million by involved foreign groups, according to the source.

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US Ambassador to Algeria David Pearce underlined Sunday the willingness of his country to broaden cooperation with Algeria in the

US Ambassador to Algeria David Pearce underlined Sunday the willingness of his country to broaden cooperation with Algeria in the fields of science and technology.It is in line with the willingness of President Barack Obama, who expressed his “intention to re-establish ties with the Arab world, through key fields relating to education, science, technology and health,” Pearce said on the occasion of the launch of the Maghreb Digital Library.The launch of this library “is one of the achieved realities of this initiative,” he added.”The new beginning,” as presented by Obama is not simply a list of initiatives, but it reflects “the United States’ commitment to establishing new relations with Muslim communities around the world,” Pearce said.

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Istanbul – Turkish group “Tekfen” won the contract for the construction of a pipeline to transport phosphate and two plants to produce Diammonium for Moroccan phosphate group “Office Chérifien des phosphates” (OCP), worth $ 630 million.

The Turkish group said it had signed last week in Casablanca the agreements on the future pipeline (240 km for 460 million dollars) and two plants, which have a capacity of 850,000 tons each and whose construction will require 170 million dollars.

The pipeline will be completed in April 2013 while the two plants will be ready in June 2012, ‘Tekfen Holding’ CEO Erhan Oner was quoted by Turkish daily “Hurriyet Daily News” as saying.

The Turkish Holding was competing with five other international companies, notably French and Indian ones, for these two projects, which are part of a large-scale investment program of the OCP, worth 7 billion dollars over 7 years.

According to the OCP, the future pipeline, which will have a capacity of 44 MT/year, is likely to lower transportation costs from mine to port, and significantly reduce energy consumption and environmental impacts resulting from this transport.

TNK-BP, whose shareholders include Russian businessmen as well as BP, has lobbied hard in recent months to buy BP’s assets in Algeria, which the company is selling as part of a $30 billion asset-disposal plan designed to cover the costs of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

But the deal could be blocked by Algeria’s Sonatrach, if the company chooses to exercise a right of first refusal over BP’s stakes.

“As far as I understand, Algeria is more inclined to Sonatrach’s entering the projects,” Shmatko said. Sonatrach is studying if it can develop the assets on its own, he added. “The decision will depend on its understanding of the technological solutions,” Shmatko said.

Meanwhile, the TNK-BP talks aren’t the only Russia-related deal under negotiation in Algeria. Russian mobile provider VimpelCom Ltd (VIP) has sought to buy half of Egypt’s Orascom Telecom (ORTE.CI) but has faced opposition in Algiers, where the government is seeking to nationalize Orascom’s local unit, a major contributor to revenue.

In Algeria, BP has two large natural gas projects, In Salah, which covers seven fields in the southern Sahara desert, and In Amenas. BP also participates in the Rhourde El Baguel oil project, and is exploring for oil in the Bourarhet block next to In Amenas.

Algeria’s oil minister Youcef Yousfi said last week the sale of BP assets to TNK-BP was still a “matter of discussion” between BP and the Algerian oil company Sonatrach.

TNK-BP said the negotiations with Algeria are at an initial stage, but declined to comment on Schmatko’s remarks. BP declined to comment.

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ALGIERS-An Algerian-French bilateral executive programme of assistance on developing the Algerian nomenclature of trades and jobs (NAME) was signed on Monday in Algiers.

This executive programme was signed by the General Manager of National Agency for Employment (ANEM) Aziza Chibane and General Manager of the French Agency Pole Emploi Christian Charpy.

The program aims to define the conditions under which the French side provides to ANEM assistance in conducting the project to develop the Algerian nomenclature of trades and jobs over a period of three years.

This action is part of the agreement signed between the two parties on December 22, 2006.

The implementation of the cooperation programme consists of Algerian-French concession of the right to use the ANEM trades and jobs operational directory (ROME), sources from ANEM said.

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ALGIERS- Representatives of Italian industrial companies expressed Monday here their interest in forging partnership with Algerian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the fields of building and food-processing, said Carati Giorgia, in charge of North Africa at Promos, a company coming under Milan Chamber of Commerce (northern Italy) “Eight firms are present today in Algeria to examine possibilities of partnership with Algerian SMEs,” she said, adding that “there is a great interest in building and food-processing.”

The Italian companies, participating in business to business meetings with Algerian entrepreneurs, operate in the fields of building, iron and steel, plastic and air conditioning, she said.